The Global Agenda 2018

The Global Agenda 2018

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Overview

We’re in the midst of one of the longest recovery cycles in history but in many economies, it hasn’t translated into consumer optimism. How are businesses and policymakers ensuring that swathes of the population aren’t disenfranchised? Are we heading towards a brighter tech-driven future or another crash?

Chaired by Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, The Global Agenda will bring together chief executive officers, entrepreneurs, and leaders from politics and civil society for a frank discussion. How can businesses work to restore the public’s trust in capitalism?

Speakers

Zanny Minton Beddoes

Editor-in-Chief, The Economist

Zanny Minton Beddoes

Editor-in-Chief, The Economist

Zanny Minton Beddoes is the editor-in-chief of The Economist. Previously she was the business affairs editor, responsible for the newspaper’s coverage of business, finance and science. Prior to her current appointment she led the paper’s global economic coverage as economics editor, co-ordinating a team of writers around the world. Until November 2007, Ms Minton Beddoes was US economics editor, focused on the American economy and its global impact, and earlier she served as The Economist’s emerging-markets correspondent based in London.

Pablo Isla

Chairman & chief executive officer, Inditex

Pablo Isla

Chairman & chief executive officer, Inditex

Pablo Isla is the chairman and chief executive officer of Inditex. He was previously the deputy chairman and chief executive officer from 2005 until 2011.

He is a graduate in law from the Complutense University of Madrid (1987) and in 1988 became the number one ranked Spanish State Attorney in Spain.

From 1992 to 1996, he was group general counsel of Banco Popular. In 1996 he was appointed general director of state assets at the Ministry of Economy and Finances. From July 2000 to 2005 he was co-executive chairman of Franco-Spanish Altadis Group.

Since 2018 Pablo Isla also serves as director in Nestlé’s Board.

Pablo Isla was appointed the 2017 Best Performing CEO in the World by Harvard Business Review, boosted by his “environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership”. Inditex ranks #4 in the 2018 Fortune’s ‘Top 50 Companies that Change the World’. Inditex is also the Most Sustainable Retail Company according to the Dow Jones Sustainable Index and received a score of 4.8 out of 5, the highest of the sector, in the latest update of FTSE4Good Index.

Pablo Isla serves as director of several Foundations and Institutions Boards such as: the Educational Carolina Foundation, chaired by his Majesty King Felipe VI and dedicated to providing scholarships for American students to Europe; the Reina Sofia Museum (the leading institution in modern art in Spain); the Instituto Elcano –the most prestigious Spanish think-tank; and, the Medical Foundation Pro-CNIC, which works to prevent heart diseases, chaired by distinguished Dr. Valentí Fuster.

About Inditex. Inditex is the world's largest fashion retailer and it is owner of eight brands: Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe. It has more than 170,000 employees, sales of € 25.3 billion, and more than 7,400 stores in 96 markets (49 of them also online).

Anla Cheng

Founder and chief executive, SupChina

Anla Cheng

Founder and chief executive, SupChina

Anla Cheng is the founder and chief executive of SupChina, an independent, multi-channel platform with a digital media of 3.5mm followers that informs on China in 5 minutes a day. It reaches a global audience of influencers and leaders with smart, accessible content, helping them make sense of a complex country that is reshaping the world.

Before SupChina, Anla Cheng served as a senior partner of Sino-Century, a China private equity fund. Prior to that, Ms. Cheng ran a family office of Asian Hedge, PE and Alternative Strategy Fund of Funds. Ms. Cheng started her career at Goldman Sachs on the GNMA bond desk where she completed her training program. She then moved onto Citigroup, where she started as a Pacific Basin analyst, then later, became an Asian Portfolio Manager. Ms. Cheng has a broad expertise in the area of Asian Investing into various alternative instruments.

Ms. Cheng received her MBA from Wharton Graduate School of Business and graduated magna cum laude from the Pratt Institute.

Yang Liu

Yang Liu

Ms Yang Liu joined Atlantis Investment Management Limited as its chief investment officer in 2003 and, in 2009, Yang became Atlantis’ chairman. With affiliates in Shanghai, Singapore, Ireland and the Cayman Islands, Atlantis is a 24-year old boutique firm dedicated to Asian equity investing. Yang is a native Chinese and a veteran asset manager with over 20 years of experience in investing in the Greater China region. Her investment career began in 1993, the inaugural year that China A-shares commenced trading. She has gained a wealth of experience in both China and Australian financial systems in her early career. At Atlantis, Yang has developed her expertise and business amid the tremendous development of China’s capital markets and the superb opportunities this has brought. Her client ranges from the world- class institutional investment funds, the biggest family offices to the largest charity foundation in the world. She has often been called the “Lady Buffet” in the press and is recognized as a pioneer of investing in China. Yang has put together a career of firsts. She was the CIO of CMG CH China Fund, the world’s first- ever dedicated Mainland China fund listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. In 2008, she launched the world’s first China healthcare fund and, in 2015, the first private equity fund devoted to China’s cultural and entertainment sectors. She was selected as “The 25 most influential women in asset management” by Asian Investor Magazine and has twice been named one of “The 50 Most Powerful Woman in Business” by Fortune.

Agenda

Registration

4:00 PM

Bracing for the downturn

How long can the recovery cycle last and what will trigger an adjustment? Shareholder primacy, the focus on quarterly results and dropping CEO tenure lengths has contributed to short-termism; can the pressure for returns be balanced with the challenge of planning for sustainable growth? Will uncertainty over Brexit and the possibility of Trump’s second term complicate long-term planning?

5:00 PM

Repairing the social contract

In the wake of recent data-harvesting scandals, public trust in tech companies has crashed, as it had previously with the banks. Will waning institutional confidence lead to a new era of disintermediation? How can companies across all industries re-engage with the public? Should there be a focus on sustainability programmes or is there another avenue for constructive involvement in society?

6:00 PM

Networking​ ​cocktail​ ​reception

6:55 PM

Chair’s​ ​welcoming​ ​remarks

Zanny Minton Beddoes

Editor-in-Chief, The Economist

Zanny Minton Beddoes

Editor-in-Chief, The Economist

Zanny Minton Beddoes is the editor-in-chief of The Economist. Previously she was the business affairs editor, responsible for the newspaper’s coverage of business, finance and science. Prior to her current appointment she led the paper’s global economic coverage as economics editor, co-ordinating a team of writers around the world. Until November 2007, Ms Minton Beddoes was US economics editor, focused on the American economy and its global impact, and earlier she served as The Economist’s emerging-markets correspondent based in London.

7:00 PM

Fireside​ ​chat:​ Bricks v clicks

The past year has seen the dramatic collapse of many iconic retailers. Famous brands failed to understand the changing patterns of consumption. How can businesses adapt to the new world shopping?

Pablo Isla

Chairman & chief executive officer, Inditex

Pablo Isla

Chairman & chief executive officer, Inditex

Pablo Isla is the chairman and chief executive officer of Inditex. He was previously the deputy chairman and chief executive officer from 2005 until 2011.

He is a graduate in law from the Complutense University of Madrid (1987) and in 1988 became the number one ranked Spanish State Attorney in Spain.

From 1992 to 1996, he was group general counsel of Banco Popular. In 1996 he was appointed general director of state assets at the Ministry of Economy and Finances. From July 2000 to 2005 he was co-executive chairman of Franco-Spanish Altadis Group.

Since 2018 Pablo Isla also serves as director in Nestlé’s Board.

Pablo Isla was appointed the 2017 Best Performing CEO in the World by Harvard Business Review, boosted by his “environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership”. Inditex ranks #4 in the 2018 Fortune’s ‘Top 50 Companies that Change the World’. Inditex is also the Most Sustainable Retail Company according to the Dow Jones Sustainable Index and received a score of 4.8 out of 5, the highest of the sector, in the latest update of FTSE4Good Index.

Pablo Isla serves as director of several Foundations and Institutions Boards such as: the Educational Carolina Foundation, chaired by his Majesty King Felipe VI and dedicated to providing scholarships for American students to Europe; the Reina Sofia Museum (the leading institution in modern art in Spain); the Instituto Elcano –the most prestigious Spanish think-tank; and, the Medical Foundation Pro-CNIC, which works to prevent heart diseases, chaired by distinguished Dr. Valentí Fuster.

About Inditex. Inditex is the world's largest fashion retailer and it is owner of eight brands: Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe. It has more than 170,000 employees, sales of € 25.3 billion, and more than 7,400 stores in 96 markets (49 of them also online).

7:30 PM

Dinner​ ​(first​ ​two​ ​courses)

8:30 PM

In conversation:​ China’s road ahead

China is developing its international reach through trade initiatives and attempts to project more soft power, while increasing domestic control through projects such as the social-credit-score system. What does the future hold for China’s relationship with its citizens and the world?

Anla Cheng

Founder and chief executive, SupChina

Anla Cheng

Founder and chief executive, SupChina

Anla Cheng is the founder and chief executive of SupChina, an independent, multi-channel platform with a digital media of 3.5mm followers that informs on China in 5 minutes a day. It reaches a global audience of influencers and leaders with smart, accessible content, helping them make sense of a complex country that is reshaping the world.

Before SupChina, Anla Cheng served as a senior partner of Sino-Century, a China private equity fund. Prior to that, Ms. Cheng ran a family office of Asian Hedge, PE and Alternative Strategy Fund of Funds. Ms. Cheng started her career at Goldman Sachs on the GNMA bond desk where she completed her training program. She then moved onto Citigroup, where she started as a Pacific Basin analyst, then later, became an Asian Portfolio Manager. Ms. Cheng has a broad expertise in the area of Asian Investing into various alternative instruments.

Ms. Cheng received her MBA from Wharton Graduate School of Business and graduated magna cum laude from the Pratt Institute.

Yang Liu

Yang Liu

Ms Yang Liu joined Atlantis Investment Management Limited as its chief investment officer in 2003 and, in 2009, Yang became Atlantis’ chairman. With affiliates in Shanghai, Singapore, Ireland and the Cayman Islands, Atlantis is a 24-year old boutique firm dedicated to Asian equity investing. Yang is a native Chinese and a veteran asset manager with over 20 years of experience in investing in the Greater China region. Her investment career began in 1993, the inaugural year that China A-shares commenced trading. She has gained a wealth of experience in both China and Australian financial systems in her early career. At Atlantis, Yang has developed her expertise and business amid the tremendous development of China’s capital markets and the superb opportunities this has brought. Her client ranges from the world- class institutional investment funds, the biggest family offices to the largest charity foundation in the world. She has often been called the “Lady Buffet” in the press and is recognized as a pioneer of investing in China. Yang has put together a career of firsts. She was the CIO of CMG CH China Fund, the world’s first- ever dedicated Mainland China fund listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. In 2008, she launched the world’s first China healthcare fund and, in 2015, the first private equity fund devoted to China’s cultural and entertainment sectors. She was selected as “The 25 most influential women in asset management” by Asian Investor Magazine and has twice been named one of “The 50 Most Powerful Woman in Business” by Fortune.

9:00 PM

Coffee​ ​and​ ​dessert

9:30 PM

Chair’s​ ​closing​ ​remarks

9:35 PM

Carriages

Venue

Incorporated by Henry VIII on 20 May 1514, the Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond has a long and storied history in service of the mariner. Its location, the elegance of the building and the versatility of its rooms make Trinity House an extremely desirable venue for corporate events.

Trinity House

Sponsors

Supported by

The Pew Charitable Trusts

Established in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts is a global nongovernmental organization committed to improving public policy, informing the public, and invigorating civic life. Pew is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems.

The Pew Research Center, a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.

Lead sponsors

EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

Co-sponsors

Co-sponsors

Herbert Smith Freehills

Herbert Smith Freehills is one of the world’s leading professional services businesses providing full-service legal advice across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America. Operating as one global team, we can help you realise opportunities while managing risk in the new global business landscape.

Co-sponsors

IPsoft

Here at IPsoft we create dynamic and evolving AI interfaces that can be designed to address the breadth of business needs. Our AI interfaces mimic a human brain in their empathy, memory and predictive pattering.

They can be used alongside existing employees to reduce the unnecessary, amplify potential, and scale impact. These hybrid teams are the workforce of the future.

Co-sponsors

NetJets

NetJets Europe is the world’s leading business aviation company. Launched in Europe in 1996 and backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the Fractional Ownership Programme provides unmatched freedom and flexibility – all the advantages of owning a private jet, with none of the hassle.

Part of

Part of

The Evidence Initiative

The Evidence Initiative, a project of The Economist Group and The Pew Charitable Trusts, explores the use of facts and data in decision-making today and presents the case for evidence-based policies. As part of the initiative, the Economist Intelligence Unit will produce an Evidence Index in October 2019, which will assess the availability and quality of evidence in the Group of 20 countries.

Speaking opportunities

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By submitting this form we will send you updates associated with this event.

The Economist Events is a part of the Economist Group. We would love to keep you informed about other Economist events, newly-released content, our best subscription offers, and great new product offerings from The Economist Group.

I wish to be contacted by email.

I also wish to sign up to the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) Perspectives newsletter.

The Economist Group is a global organisation and operates a strict privacy policy around the world. Please see our privacy policy here